Catching Butterflies
by Dudette Mal
Summary: His dreams steadily grew more vivid. More realistic. Less dreamlike. Less relaxing. And then there was this unconsciously evolving habit to draw.
1. Chapter 1

Catching Butterflies

I.

The water felt warm on his skin. Maybe… warm wasn't the right word. The water felt hot on his skin. Like back the-… The through stopped, the throbbing headache came. As soon as it came it stopped. The people around him were talking with each other and with him. His answers short as usual. The water burned the coldness out of his body, like they burned the loneliness out of his soul for the time being. His eyes closed. Relaxation.

Not for long. Pictures flooded his mind. His eyes snapped open. What had this been? "Oi, Gareki, I'm talking to you." "So?" He didn't went back to the line of though.

II.

They were back at the ship. The attack of the post-animals was in the past. Yogi back to normal. And somehow there was nothing to occupy his mind with. At least nothing he could change or books.

It started off as a slight feeling. At first he didn't even really realize it. But the itching gradually grew stronger. The first time he realized it he unconsciously had started to draw a scene he had dreamed about inside of his notebooks. He looked decently around. Nobody seems to have noticed. He silently closed the book and left the room. Never mind the confused Yogi and Tsukumo shoot him.

In the night he found himself sitting in the very same room again. Drawing on the very same picture again.

III.

His dreams steadily grew more vivid. More realistic. Less dreamlike. Less relaxing.

He often woke up in the middle of the night, unable to fall asleep again, wandering through the hallways of the ship. He didn't return to the room he and Nai shared until early the next morning. Instead he spend his nights sitting in the common room reading or, more often than not, drawing scenes out of his nightmares. He didn't exactly know why he did that or when he learned it. But, if he could say so for himself, the pictures weren't even bad.

He just knew that he would keep it secret.

IV.

It had almost been a week. He had taken to carrying his notebook with him all the times. At least until now.

He stared at the table in front of him. He closed the book he had just read and took it with him. To where? He really didn't know. He just started wandering though the hallways like he did every so often night. He stopped at the room Tsukumo was busy teaching Nai. He stopped and wondered. It couldn't hurt taking a quick look could it?

The hesitance should prove to be a mistake. Yogi showed up in the hallway seeing him with his hand raised to open the door. His ever present smile grew happier if possible. "Let's surprise them!" Before Gareki was even able to say something, Yogi had opened the door and dragged him in.

There he stared in the hurt face of Nai and the confused one of Tsukumo. His notebook opened on the desk. "Why didn't you tell me that you could draw like this?" With that he snapped out of the shock that immobilised his body and snatched his notebook from the desk.

They didn't find him again this evening. But that didn't cease the worry.


	2. Chapter 2

**X. Peaceful . Equillibrium .X: **Thanks a lot, I corrected it now. I read something concise before and I guess this kind of style(?) fit the idea I had in my head. Kinda xD Maybe I just wanted to try it out.

Catching Butterflies

I.

In the morning everything was back to normal. Nobody said anything at all about the pictures or about Gareki's hasty retreat. And maybe, just maybe, this pregnant silence wasn't exactly all that normal either.

That night Gareki fell asleep easily enough while reading. Nai didn't. He felt uneasy. The voices that normally fell down on him like stars, weren't happy or fine. They were sad and spoke of misery. He couldn't sleep like this. But he still closed his eyes. He wanted to help, but how? Suddenly there was pure horror. He jumped out of the bed. He was used to Gareki having nightmares, but not like this. He climbed on his bed and tried to wake him, but to no avail.

Suddenly the door opened. Yogi came in first Tsukumo hot on his heels. Had he been that loud? Tears collected in his eyes. Before he realized that Yogi had climbed on the bed as well he was already up and patted Nai on the head. He smiled at him and then put him down to Tsukumo who instantly tried to calm him down.

Yogi touched Gareki's shoulder and his eyes snapped open. But the eyes weren't the intelligent indifferent ones he was used to. They were panicked and distant. He didn't even seem to realize who was in front of him. "D-don't touch me!" "Gareki, it's just me and Nai an-" His smile was frozen in place as Gareki interrupted him. "That's not my name!" And his eyes grew worried. "My name is… is…" This time Yogi didn't ask this time and just embraced him. "It's fine." "It's not." His lips brushed his cheek. His eyes seemed to focus. "Yogi?" "Go back to sleep."

II.

The next time Gareki's eyes opened he stared directly at Yogi's sleeping face. His breath softly brushed against his cheek. His eyes widened for a second. He sat up. And woke Yogi with his movements up. "Ohaio~!" "Che, what are you doing here?" For a short moment Yogi's grin seemed to freeze. "You mean you don't remember?" "Remember what?" The door opened and a sheep came in.

III.

Breakfast definitely was not a nosy affair. What had happened in the night anyway? Nai had hugged him asking if he was fine again, Tsukumo shot him worried glances and Yogi seemed less childish and more serious… His appetite declined.

Suddenly he snapped. "What happened anyway?" It was Yogi who answered. "You had a nightmare." "Ah." Tsukumo didn't seem to want the dialog to end and asked: "Where did you learn drawing like that, Gareki?" "I don't know." Yogi's smile brightened. "Right! That was your notebook yesterday! Lemme see~"

Gareki hesitated slightly, but then passed it to him. Yogi's looked really happy when he opened it. "I didn't know that you had been there." "Where?" Yogi turned the notebook so that Gareki could see the picture of a village square. "Here." He drew quotation marks in the air. "The capital of science." He cracked a smile. "But I should have gues-" Gareki already stepped out of the door. "-sed."


	3. Chapter 3

Catching Butterflies

I.

His day was spend in the library. Or the sitting room. Or however this room full of bookshelves and books was called. It was frustrating. He didn't find anything at all. He turned the page he was on- again nothing. He didn't even find a cross reference. It was just frustrating.

The door opened. He didn't look up. The chair across from him was pulled away and something was set on the table. He pecked upwards to see Yogi looking at the piling books. Then Yogi smiled playfully at him and took away the book he was reading.

Gareki narrowed his eyes enquiring. "You missed lunch." He set a plate he bought with him in front of Gareki. "We missed you." "Sorry. Thanks." He started eating.

"What are you looking for anyway?" "The town you told me about…" "I thought…" He examined the titles. "I don't think you'd find anything in these." "Oh?" Yogi nodded smiling. "I don't say that I have read all of them but, if I remember right…" He moved around the desk and went to a shelf behind him. Gareki heard how a book was pulled out of the shelf and stopped eating. Yogi flipped though the book and set it on the desk. He leaned over, Gareki could feel his breath tickling his neck. Yogi thumbed through the book a little more. And stopped. "There it is." "Thanks", Gareki muttered, started reading and hoped that the slight blush adoring his cheeks wouldn't be too obvious.

II.

There were more of these lingering touches between them. Promising more. Promising everything and nothing at all.

And then there was his study about that town. Exciting and frightening. Amazing and now oh so beautiful normalcy.

He sat on the couch drawing. He had needed a break anyway and it didn't matter anymore if he hid it or did it openly or so he assumed. Everybody knew about it anyway. Yogi sat across from him with his ever present smile on the lips. Watching him. Starring at him.

Suddenly Yogi jumped on him. Gareki's pencil scraped across the picture. Utterly and completely destroyed it. He growled. Yogi laughed. "Sorry." He brushed him playfully through the hair and then readjusted Gareki's googles. "You looked so serious." "Not everyone can look like an idiot." He still hadn't moved from Gareki, and was still laying halfway on him. "You are so mean~!" Yogi said, not even sounding offended.

This comfortable uncomfortableness made him uneasy. Even though he had grown used of Yogi being near him, invading his personal space every so often, this was enough. He blushed madly. Yogi blinked. "D'aww~ You're so cute!" "I'm not-" The sound of something crashing to the ground was heard. Gareki's struggling seemed to be proven as a bad. Gareki found himself laying on the ground, their faces just centimetres apart. And Gareki felt his cheeks getting a much darker shade of red.

They stared.

"Sor-" Yogi started and tried to get a bit more space between their faces.

But something snapped in Gareki.

His hands found his collar.

He pulled.

And kissed him.

The door was slammed shut.

Loudly.

Gareki wanted the ground to swallow him up.

Yogi just grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

Catching Butterflies

I.

The sun was shining down, painting pictures through the leaves on the ground and his body. Gareki watched Nai and Tsukumo playing with the sheeps for a bit. Tsukumo seemed determined to give them as much time alone as it was possible, much to Yogi's displeasure she was stealing Nai away every so often. He went back to reading. The sun shone down brightly. He closed his eyes just slightly.

"Gareki~!" Yogi flopped down next to him. "Tsukumo-chan is so mean~!" He whined. Gareki cracked a small smile. "Is that so?" Yogi nodded his head. "She didn't want me to play with them. She didn't say it but it's as clear as daylight."

Gareki hesitated but then let himself fall to the side, his head bedded on Yogi's lap. "I wonder why." Yogi smiled softly down at him and brushed lovingly through Gareki's hair. "Are you really doing that?" He doubted. Gareki almost smiled but didn't answer.

He felt almost at peace with himself. "I hate not remembering…" Yogi seemed surprised at the slight mumble. "It's ok." He assured. "I don't remember much either." "That doesn't make it ok, idiot…" The voice was so sleepy now. "I know. But you didn't forget it all." He looked around lazily like looking for something. "I feel like I'm trying to catch a butterfly without hurting it." "Hard but not impossible?" Gareki's face cracked up and gave Yogi a soft and amused smile. "Something along these lines."

He felt safe here, this warm prickling in his very heart. The sun comfortable warm. Was this what home felt like? "Sleep tight." He felt a kiss being pressed on his cheek and wanted to respond but then decided to just snuggle up to him some more. And maybe, he decided, just maybe that was what being loved felt like.

Once again Yogi was surprised by the attitude Gareki had shown today. His normally cold demeanour that had made him seem untouchable was mostly absent. He wondered if it was because of the dreams or rather because of the lack of sleep that came with them. Yogi watched as a colourful butterfly settled down on Gareki's googles. _You don't need to try, the butterfly is coming to you. _

There was a click and then a flash. He looked up to see Tsukumo almost giggling at the display of her materialized mobile and Nai with an uttermost adorable expression on his face. The butterfly spread his wings and took off. "I hope you are sending the picture to me later on!" He didn't say it too loudly. She nodded smiling then her eyes followed Nai who was playfully hunting after the butterfly.

Then she turned to him again, looking serious this time. "Gareki is going back to Kuronomei tomorrow, isn't he?" Yogi's smile seemed forced now. That was the start of a deathlike silence, in which the former thief shifted in his sleep uneasy and Yogi instantly gazed worried at him. Then he ran a hand through his hair until he settled down again. "What are you two for each other anyway?" He seemed pensive for a short moment. "Whatever he wants us to be." He said. _Whatever he allows us to be,_ he thought.

* * *

I feel like I was missing some grammar on this chapter, so feel free to point them out or any typos or anything, it'd be appreciated. Any thoughs?

I'm also thinking about writing an unplanned zero chapter to end this kinda countdown. What do you think?

Yours sincerely, Mal


End file.
